Kelly Ripa’s incredible morphing belly button

I have to admit, I spend a lot of time thinking about Kelly Ripa’s belly button. To be frank, it haunts me. So I was really relieved to find out that someone over at the Huffington Post is clearly just as obsessed as I am. One of their writers has pointed out that Ripa’s navel has got quite the split personality. Sometimes it’s an innie, sometimes it’s an outtie, and other times it’s a halvsie. You can see how this would be haunting.

And I guarantee you that after you see the photographic evidence, you’re probably going to become obsessed with the state of Ripa’s belly button too. Wondering if it’s poking out boldly or curled up inside itself like a scared turtle. So you’ve been warned.

Kelly Ripa, 38 on Thursday and a mom of three, graces the November cover of Shape magazine in an orange bikini. Look familiar? She was also on the cover of Shape last May in a orangey-red bikini. In between, she broke up the Shape orange bikini covers with a gold bikini on the cover of Fitness. But, she only shared three top workout moves with the readers of Fitness, according to the cover. Shape reader got SIX the first time around.

Also of note: across the covers, she has three different belly buttons. Ripa, an outspoken outtie who jokes about getting her belly button stuck in zippers on “Live with Regis and Kelly” had it airbrushed off completely for last year’s Shape, but this time they just softened it on the cover. Below are the three covers and an un-airbrushed picture of her bellybutton while on a family vacation.

[From the Huffington Post]

I’m pretty upset too. While I am personally an innie and do not fully understand the struggles an outtie must live with in an innie world, I respect anyone who embraces their body for what it is. But now Ripa’s just sending out mixed messages. “Ooooh, I’m belly button proud! Oh wait, no I’m not, photoshop that bastard down!” I mean pick a position and stick with it. I cannot even imagine how this kind of back and forth is going to mess with Ripa’s children. Scratch that. How it’s going to mess with America’s children.

I really hope she makes some kind of formal, regretful statement and issues a sincere apology to the other outties. And then learns to love her flawed, flawed stomach.

Here’s Kelly’s ever-evolving belly button. The first image is from the November Shape; the second is from the May 2007 Shape; the third is from the Dec 2007 Fitness; and the last is an un-retouched photo of Ripa in a bikini.

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25 Responses to “Kelly Ripa’s incredible morphing belly button”

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  1. DarthVadersLoveChild says:

    I just spent 3 minutes reading that. Three minutes that I will never get back.

  2. Kolby says:

    I think outties are cute – and hers is tiny to begin with. What a silly thing to have to photoshop!

  3. Darlene says:

    I heard her say in an interview once that she didn’t want her belly button airbrushed on the cover of whatever mag it was, and that the mag people would do it anyway. Stars don’t often get control of their final photoshopped images, and if your retoucher and the retoucher’s boss think the public wants an innie on the cover, that’s what they’ll show.

    I think we could handle and outtie, don’t you? 🙂

  4. Syko says:

    Her stomach isn’t all that flawed for having had three kids. She looks pretty good, innie, outie or sitting on the fence.

  5. Zoe says:

    She is way too effing skinny. I can see her organs. Gross.

  6. prissa says:

    I hate photoshop. 🙁

  7. Cowbell says:

    Her belly button has had me perplexed since she hosted SNL and it was pointing at me. I had nightmares.

  8. Amy says:

    I doubt she has anything to do with the retouching. She probably doesn’t care about the outie. If she did, then she wouldn’t be walking around in two-pieces all the time!

  9. lanette says:

    slow news day? 😯

  10. BABS81 says:

    She looks like Skeletor…..I realize she has to make $$$ for her family….let’s face it her hubby is just a pretty boy, but man, she is anorexic. What type of example is she providing for the woman/teens of America? Her head is huge…look at prior pics of Kelly, sad 🙁

  11. vdantev says:

    Some of you all have sat in front of your monitors for so long the radiation has given you x-ray vision. She’s a pretty fleshy looking skeleton. 🙄

  12. aspen says:

    I always assumed it was her pregnancies that changed the belly button. I have a friend with lots of kids, and her stomach changes each time she has one.

  13. kc says:

    i actually worked for a company who now uses kelly as a spokewoman and i’ll tell you that in person, she actually looks really healthy. she’s just really really tiny. like you could put her in your pocket. but she is nice and gracious and down-to-earth and it’s my guess that the belly-button debacle has way more to do with the magazine then with Kelly.

  14. gia says:

    wow, I find it baffling that none of you “experts” seems to be able to distinguish between a man- made and a natural belly button, when this so clearly is the result of a surgeon after a tummy-tuck. Bet you a million dollars!!!

  15. pebbles says:

    i hate.kelly.ripa.
    with a passion.

    • Gary Beard says:

      There is no way you hate her more
      than I do.
      I wish someone would fly her to
      Neptune or Uranus.
      What a happy day that would be.
      I’d dance in the streets when she
      arrived and there was no way to get
      back to planet earth.

  16. kate says:

    @ pebbles: i hate her with a passion, too! she is everything that is wrong with america. seriously.

  17. Jeanne says:

    She’s too damn hyper for me and smiles too much too. Regis must medicate himself everyday to work with her. And she’s so different from Kathy Lee–how?

  18. GimmeABreak says:

    I liked her 20lbs ago.

  19. Jer says:

    I like that she likes her belly button and tied her shirt up one day to be a backup singer on Regis and Kelly and Regis went nuts and told her to cover up

  20. doc says:

    Hey, i’m sorry, I’m 52 Years old & I think Kelly is one of the most Beautiful, best built Ladies on Television! I’d like to see her wear Shorter skirts to show off her beautiful Lags!
    Sure she needs a little more chest, but with her body & looks, who needs a bigger chest!
    Mark is one lucky dude! I fantazise about her!
    Doc

  21. Candy says:

    Okay so here’s my take on it. An outie is fine, as is an innie…but this thing she has is neither. Sorry, but it makes me a little weak in the knees looking at it, that’s how grossed out I am by it. And also, her new “body” looks less and less feminine everytime she’s photographed. She is flat, with muscles and a six pack that looks unflattering. See her pictures with Kim Kardashian and notice how thing her knees are. They look like they can hardly hold her up. Sorry, if this is sexy, I aint buying it

  22. Candy says:

    Oh and they’ve airbrushed her OUTIE because it’s unnatural and unflattering!

  23. deb says:

    Wow…people can be so petty. Really guys? You hate Kelly? She has always been a tiny girl, since All My Children. She (like Kathy) is down to earth, funny and REAL. Unlike most celebs. If that’s what was the only thing wrong with me, I would be just fine. Maybe her message is that its okay to have flaws..Some of you negatives need to check yourselves

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